


The Huntress Punished

by MistressDandelion



Category: Night World - L. J. Smith
Genre: Ace!Hugh, Best Friends, Gen, Half-Vampires, I headcanon Hugh as demisexual okay?, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Spanking, Old Souls, One Shot, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Platonic! Hugh/Jez, Punishment, Spanking, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, punishment spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-09 16:41:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11108613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressDandelion/pseuds/MistressDandelion
Summary: Hugh is getting tired of Jez's wild exploits and careless behavior. When she shows up after yet another Hunt gone wrong, he decides to teach her a lesson.





	The Huntress Punished

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another Night World spanking fic. Expect to see a lot of these from me. Feel free to suggest pairings and/or scenarios, I guess!

The series of short, rhythmic taps woke Hugh out of a deep sleep. He jolted, snapping his eyes open to sudden awareness that came as a shock after the calming embrace of a dead sleep. Heart racing, he sat up, pushing himself out of bed to investigate before he had even fully become aware; all he knew was that the series of taps, echoing through his apartment in their steady tempo, had woken him and spurred him to action. He _knew_ those taps, but couldn’t be sure how long he’d been hearing them unconsciously before he woke, and knowing _that,_ he knew he must investigate before it was too late.

Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment and shaking his head as he tried to wake, he stumbled out of bed and through the tiny living room toward the front door. The taps only grew louder as he finally made it to the door, and now he knew why they’d woken him with such a sense of urgency.

It was _Jez._

More specifically, it was the series of rhythmic knocks they’d agreed on-- _she’d_ agreed on, really--when she decided they needed a signal when she visited. To prove it was her, she’d said, as though anyone who wanted to hurt him would bother knocking on his door. Real Vampires didn’t follow those ridiculous rules about being invited inside. And goddess only knew what a shifter or wolf would do if they really wanted to get in and hurt him.

So as he stumbled to the door, finally shaking himself fully awake, he recognized the pattern and knew that it was Jez. His heart, still racing from the sudden, unexpected waking, jumped into his throat as he unlocked the door and pulled it open. Something told him that, despite the gray light beginning to filter through his curtains, it was far too early for this to be a normal social visit.

“Goddess, Jez!”

Throwing the door wide, he swooped to catch the girl as she nearly collapsed into his apartment. Her whole body shuddered in his arms as he caught her, nearly buckling under her weight. She wasn’t exactly huge, but then again, he wasn’t exactly huge either. Her weight was more than enough to nearly bowl him over, as unexpected as it was. Throwing his arm around her waist, he pulled her limp arm around his shoulders, bracing her against him and guiding her through the door. He kicked it shut behind him, barely pausing to make sure the automatic lock clicked into place before he pulled the half-conscious girl with him to the couch.

“Hugh,” Jez’s voice was soft. Hugh barely heard her as she whispered his name.

Trying to lower her to the couch as gently as possible, he knelt down beside the couch as he managed to get her sitting mostly upright. Her eyelids drooped, and now that he got a good look at her, he saw _why_ she’d nearly fallen flat on his doorstep in the dim grey light of pre-dawn.

Blood poured down one side of her face. Her hair, sticky and matted with blood, clung to her skin, and he only saw more the longer he stared. Her shirt had been ripped in several places, her hair was a mess, and as she lifted a hand--shaking with the effort--toward him, he realized her knuckles were raw and bleeding.

“Goddess,” he breathed again, reaching for her good hand. “Jez, what _happened?”_

“Hunt . . .”

She didn’t need to say more, and indeed, seemed thoroughly unable to do so at any rate. With a snap, Hugh shut his mouth, cutting off his next line of questioning. Of _course_ she’d been hurt while on a hunt, and had come to him for help. Again. He’d known the girl for years, had sympathized with her predicament, had welcomed her into his closest circle of friends. He knew her well enough to know that the vampire she’d gone after was most likely dead, staked in an alley somewhere. As bad as she looked, he knew from experience that the vampire had undoubtedly gotten the worse end of the deal.

“Alright, up you come.” He didn’t give her a chance to object, pulling her up from the couch again and pushing her toward the bathroom. She stumbled, and he immediately checked himself, realizing that he’d suddenly stopped treating her as gently as he had when he didn’t know the reason behind her sudden appearance and injuries.

Jez followed him quietly, and once he’d gotten her settled in the bathroom, he cleaned her up.

Cleaning up after someone won a fight with a vampire was considerably easier than cleaning up after someone had _lost_ a fight with a vampire. Especially when that someone was half vampire, herself. Though Jez had given up consciously using her vampire powers, by the time he’d cleaned the cut on her forehead and the heavy scratches on her neck, the cuts had already started to heal. Ignoring the instinct to bandage the already healing cuts, he pulled Jez to her feet again.

She’d been nearly incoherent this whole time--clearly exhausted more than injured--and so as Hugh finally maneuvered her limply into the bedroom and managed to get her mostly onto the bed, it was no surprise when she immediately fell into a deep sleep. Heaving an exasperated sigh, he pulled off her shoes and covered her over with the blankets. He would need to wash the blood out of them later, he thought with a roll of his eyes, before leaving the room.

It was early, but he wouldn’t be getting any more sleep. Might as well make breakfast.

 

\---

 

Jez slept for several hours. While she slept off the effects of her late-night hunt, Hugh ate a quick breakfast and settled in to wait for her to wake. Though he sat and idly flipped through the pages of the book he’d left on the coffee table the night before, his mind was focused unerringly on his current problem.

This was not the first time Jez had come to him, bloody and drained, both physically and mentally, after a hunt gone wrong. It didn’t happen often, but every time it did he could feel another year of his current life slipping away. He was tired, tired of the fear and worry that affected him not just immediately after she pulled a stunt like this, but nearly every time he thought about Jez’s . . . habits.

There had to be a way to show her how worried he was for her, and how done he was tolerating her behavior.

When, hours after her arrival, he heard the bedroom door creak open, he still hadn’t come up with any ideas. He looked up immediately, eyes flashing immediately to his friend’s face as she came into the living room. The cuts on her forehead and neck had practically disappeared, and the raw, bloody skin of her knuckles had healed as well. Though her hair was still matted with blood, and her clothes stained with it, she looked worlds better than she had.

“Hey.”

“Hi, Jez.”

She licked her lips, her eyes darting away from his face as he kept a level gaze on her. A breath lifted her chest, but he spoke before she could say whatever it was she’d meant to.

“You should take a shower. I’ll find you something to change into.” Standing up, Hugh brushed past her, hardly looking at her, though he could feel her eyes on him as he passed. He was suddenly beyond furious, seethingly angry that she continued to treat his worry for her so brazenly.

“Yeah, okay.” Seeming to sense his anger, Jez didn’t put up a fight. She was a redhead stereotype embodied in a tiny, twenty-something-year-old girl, but even she knew better than to pick a fight with an Old Soul who was clearly upset.

While the water ran in the bathroom, Hugh dug through his closet to find her something suitable to wear. He didn’t exactly have a lot of women’s clothes lying around his apartment, and so the best he could come up with was an old t-shirt and some pajama bottoms that were too small on him, now. Jez had left the bathroom door cracked--knowing that Hugh would never in a million years have encroached on her privacy, and he pushed the clothes through the gap, letting them drop to the floor.

Then he returned to the couch, sitting and glaring at a wall as he waited for Jez to emerge once again. Somehow, he _had_ to get through to her how unacceptable her irresponsible, risky behavior was.

She emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, her hair still damp and glowing with the shine of clean skin. She looked even better now, hair no longer matted and bloody, the scratches on her face and neck practically gone, barely even scarring over as her body healed with unnatural speed. As he looked up at her again, he realized she’d put on only the t-shirt, neglecting to wear the pajama bottoms he’d given her. The t-shirt covered everything important, but he still wished she’d take more care when she was around him.

He may be an Old Soul and almost totally uninterested in romance and sex in the modern sense, but even _he_ wasn’t totally immune to the sight of Jez wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt.

“Hi, Hugh . . .”

He sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and pressing his palms against his eyes. “Hi, Jez.”

“Are you . . . okay? You seem upset?” She was intuitive, he’d give her that. Most people never noticed when Hugh was upset; to most people, quieter than usual was still just _quiet._

He spoke without taking his hands away from his eyes. “That’s because I _am_ upset, Jez.” He couldn’t hide from her forever, and so he lowered his hands and sighed again, finally looking at her. “This has to stop. I can’t _do_ this any more, Jezebel.”

And of course he knew only he could get away with using her full name. He saw her flinch as he did, and she still hadn’t moved away from the bathroom door, as though afraid to come any closer. Something flared in her though, either at his use of her name or his tone, and she clenched her fists. “Can’t do what, Hugh? Help me when I’m in a bind? Be there for me when I need someone?”

“That’s not  fair, Jez, and you know it!” He raised his voice a fraction, standing up as he spoke. The combined louder voice and movement as he stood up silenced Jez for a moment. She stared at him, and he met her eyes levelly. He wasn’t _angry,_ not like she was starting to become, but he was resolved. “You’re taking advantage of me, and I want it to stop.”

Her familiar temper was starting to show, as she clenched her fists and sparks began to fly from her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“You _know_ I care about you and would do anything to help you. You know I won’t say anything when you show up on my doorstep for the fifth time, hurt and bleeding after going after some vampire. You know I won’t question why you come to _me_ when that happens, instead of going to Morgead. And it’s like you don’t even care how you’re affecting _me_ with all of this.” The words fell out of him quickly, tumbling together in their rush to get out. Pausing, he took a deep breath, feeling the familiar heat climbing into his cheeks, the heat that flushed him every time he had to confront someone. He wasn’t built for confrontation, really. He _wanted_ to keep silently supporting Jez, but at this point, he knew it would do her more harm in the long run to let her continue down her current path.

Jez remained silent as he spoke, but he could see the set to her jaw, and she had folded her arms across her chest. Her posture was not receptive, but she _was_ listening.

“You’re being irresponsible, Jez. All these hunts you go on are dangerous, but you’ll keep on taking risks as long as I’m there to help when you take a fall. You’re hurting me with this, Jez, can’t you see that? I lie awake at night worrying about you. Wondering if I’ll hear you at my door again, and kind of hoping I _do,_ because at least then I’ll know you’re _alive.”_

The anger he’d been watching build inside his friend finally exploded. She unfolded her arms, throwing her hands into the air as she responded. Jez always gestured wildly--the stiller she was, the calmer she was. “Well _forgive me_ for thinking you care about me and want to help me!”

Almost unknowingly, she’d moved closer to him as she spoke. It was an unconscious movement, but it was one meant to intimidate him. For the first time in a long time, he was reminded of how . . . alien Jez could seem at times. She was like a wild animal at times, the kind that may have tolerated you because you fed it, but would never be truly _tame._

Hugh stood his ground, even taking a step forward to meet Jez as she advanced. “That’s not fair, Jez. Stop treating me like the bad guy here. I’m done enabling you to keep going out and getting yourself hurt. I just don’t know how to make you _understand._ ”

“I’m not a kid, Hugh. I can take care of myself!”

“Well you’re sure acting like one!”

Jez stepped up until she was nose-to-nose with him, her eyes flashing. “So then what’re you gonna do, spank me?”

There was a beat of silence as Hugh blinked. Jez glared at him, her eyes flaring as she assumed she'd beaten him, struck him dumb with shock at her suggestion that he punish her like a child. Truthfully, Hugh was considering the merits of the idea. He blinked again, the only outward hint he would ever give to show how quickly his mind was racing, how much she'd rattled him with her words.

Her idea _did_ have some merit.

Quietly, Hugh stepped back, giving up the ground he'd held while she advanced on him. He felt Jez’s eyes on him, watching his every move as he slowly went to the small kitchenette and grabbed one of the straight-backed chairs he kept there. As he moved, dragging the chair back to where they'd been standing in the middle of his apartment, he glanced at Jez. Her face had gone from haughty and triumphant to confused all in an instant.

“Hugh?” She'd lost the angry tone, as well. “What are you doing?”

Hugh didn't respond right away. Instead, he positioned the chair in the middle of the room and then paused to push his sleeves up to his elbows. His mind was still whirling, thoughts racing as he wondered if he was about to make the right choice. It was risky; but the payout might just make that risk worth it.

“Hugh,” Her voice had gone soft, wheedling, as he still gave her no information. “I'm sorry I yelled at you. You know I didn't mean it.”

Taking his position on the chair, he finally looked at her again. She met his eyes, her whole demeanor changed. He'd caught her off guard, and she didn't like it. He took a deep breath, knowing that this moment would make or break their friendship.

“I think you were right.”

“What?” Her eyes went wide, and he could practically see her thoughts spinning as she tried to figure out what he meant.

“I said, I think you were right. Maybe you _do_ need a spanking. A childish punishment for childish behavior.” He forced his breathing into a steady tempo, keeping himself calm in the face of an incredibly dangerous red-head, who he'd just threatened to spank.

Instead of anger, he saw a flash of confusion, and then...dare he think, fear? “I was kidding!” She cried, throwing her arms out again in an exasperated motion.

“And I'm _not_ kidding.”

“Wha--”

He cut her off, speaking in the same calm tone. Knowing that he couldn't get upset, not now. “You've been absolutely terrible to me lately, Jez. You've been irresponsible and selfish, and quite frankly, I think you would benefit from this. Maybe it will help you understand just how serious I am, and how much you've been hurting me.” He didn't move as he spoke, sitting relaxed in the chair, his legs spread and his elbows resting on his knees. He was tired, and he hoped his posture would convey that.

“You can't be serious. I'm not a kid, and I'm not your fucking daughter!” There was the anger he'd come to expect. The spark that he suspected kept her alive through most of her adventures.

He sighed. “I'm very serious.” Meeting her eyes, he paused for a moment before going on. “I'm not going to force you to do this. You're free to leave, and I'm not necessarily going to ban you from ever coming to me for help again. But I don't think your conscience will let you keep hurting me. Not now that you know.”

Jez met his eye for a moment, but she quickly looked away. She was wavering, biting her bottom lip as she thought. Going still, that was always her tell, and as she folded her arms across her chest and lowered her head, she was very still **.** Hugh let her think, not moving or interrupting her as she stood quietly for several minutes. When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were glistening.

“Have I really been that awful to you?” Her voice had gone very quiet, small even.

Heaving a sigh, Hugh nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.” He didn’t like having to do this to her, but she needed to see just how much her actions had affected him. “That’s why I think you’d benefit from this. Hell, we’d _both_ benefit, I think.”

She nodded, still seeming to waver. “I’m sorry I hurt you. . .” As she spoke, she finally took a step toward him. She seemed to have deflated, all the anger going out of her at once, and as she stepped up to his side, he saw that she was shaking.

He took her hand immediately, looking up into her face. “It’s okay, Jez. I know you’re sorry. But you still need to be punished, okay? Then we can put this all behind us.”

She nodded again, setting her jaw in that familiar jut as she bent down to lay across his lap. He raised his eyebrows, surprised at the familiarity of the action. He didn’t know much about her past--she didn’t _share_ much about her past--but something told him this wasn’t the first time she’d been in this position. Pushing the thought aside for the moment, he adjusted her carefully, until she was lying comfortably across his lap, her legs dangling just short of touching the floor.

Taking a moment to make sure they were both comfortable, he then reached to fold the edge of his old t-shirt up, revealing the pair of plain black panties she was wearing. She squirmed as he did this, but said nothing.

He paused, considering. It had been a _long_ time since he’d had someone in this position. Certainly not within this lifetime, and certainly never someone his own age (physically at least) and a close friend. He’d raised children before though, of course, and in a time when this sort of discipline had not only been fine, but actively encouraged.

Jez shifted on his lap, turning slightly to look up at him. “Hugh?”

He’d hesitated too long. Blinking, he called himself back to the moment. “You understand what I’m about to do, and why?” He put on his most serious tone; if he was going to do this, he was going to do it right.

Jez went back to her previous position, lying tense and alert across his knees. “Yes.”

Lifting his right knee, he pushed her ass up further, pushing her into a better position. “Well? Go on.”

There was a moment’s hesitation, and then he heard her sigh. “You’re going to spank me, because I’ve been treating you badly.”

“And?”

“And being irresponsible.”

He was impressed at how quickly she’d gone from angry and tense to lying over his lap admitting her faults to him. Gently, he ran his hand down her back, rubbing circles between her shoulders where he could feel her muscles tensed up. “That’s right. I’m glad we both agree that you need this. Do you have anything else to say before we get this over with?”

Jez shook her head, her shoulders tensing.

That was it, then. Hugh continued rubbing circles on her back for a moment, feeling her relax slightly as he eased the tension that had gathered between her shoulders. He took the time to fold back the t-shirt again, pushing it up to a point low on her back. She’d wrapped her arms around his leg, her fingers digging into his thigh as she waited for him to begin.

He started with no warning, raising his hand and bringing it down across her ass hard. The next slap landed a fraction of a second later, and he didn’t stop there. Starting with no warning, he didn’t give her any warm up either, immediately landing hard blow after hard blow.

She jumped at the first slap, and by the time he’d landed four or five she was wincing and offering little cries of protest. Her arms tightened around his thigh, but Hugh kept on, raining down slaps fast and hard. There was no point starting off easy--if she was going to learn anything from this, it had to be an honest punishment. No holding back.

He spanked her in silence for several minutes, keeping up the steady pace he’d set for himself. She kept up a solid performance, tightening her arms around his leg every time he hand made contact with her ass, throwing her head up so her hair flew with each impact. Soon, each slap was accompanied not only by the sharp sound of skin-against-skin, but by a quick intake of breath as Jez tried to breathe through the pain.

Pausing for a moment, Hugh leaned around to get a better view of his handiwork. He could just see a blush of pink beginning to show past the lines of her panties, but it was already fading now that he’d stopped his onslaught. As he paused, he felt Jez relax slightly, letting out a puff of air.

“Don’t think you’re getting off that easily.” He murmured, feeling the girl tense up again. His fingers went to the waistband of her panties, and he heard her gasp.

Suddenly she was struggling, squirming on his lap as she felt what he was doing. “Hugh!” He stopped at the panic he heard, reaching down so she could grasp his hand.

“Hey,” keeping his voice low, he squeezed her hand. “You trust me, right?”

She took a deep breath, squeezing his hand tightly. “Yes.”

“Good. Now c’mon, give me your other hand.” He released her hand, reaching across her back as she reached behind her. Taking her other hand, he squeezed lightly before twisting her arm up behind her back, pressing her wrist into the small of her back. The position rendered her helpless, but it was more of a precaution than anything. “You can say the word and be done right now, or we can see this through to the end.”

He felt a shudder run through her body, and she squirmed slightly. “I’m _really_ sorry, Hugh . . .” She all but whispered.

He ran a gentle hand down her back, stopping just short of her ass. “I know.”

She didn’t protest when he hooked his fingers under the waistband of her panties and pulled them down. He didn’t pull them far, just low enough to bare her ass, giving him a good view of the pink flush that still burned the delicate skin there. She squirmed a bit, but he didn’t give her much chance to overthink the situation. As soon as he’d gotten her panties down, he tightened his grip on her wrist and laid into her again.

This time, she was kicking within a few smacks, letting out gasps every other slap as he began spanking her in earnest. He started in fast and hard again, pulling his arm back fully for full swings. Even as she began to let out soft cries of protest, little “ows” and gasps, he didn’t let up. He kept up the pace, slapping first one cheek and then the other, watching as the soft shade of pink slowly brightened.

After a moment of silence, broken only by the sharp sound of his hand contacting her bare ass, he spoke up. “You know you’ve been selfish and irresponsible lately, right, Jezebel?” Using her full name intentionally, knowing that the impact of her full name would bring her out of whatever headspace she was in. “You know you deserve this punishment?”

He landed an especially hard blow then, and she let out a little cry, throwing her head back in a wash of fire. “Yes! I’m sorry!”

Pausing, he let his hand rest on her ass, watching as she lay shuddering over his lap. “Will you promise to try harder after this?” He lifted his hand and spanked her hard again, letting the blow impact fully.

She cried out, and he thought he heard the hint of a sob in her voice. “Yes, I promise.”

The catch in her voice told Hugh everything he needed to know. Squeezing her hand, he pulled his other arm back, hearing her suck in a quick breath in the instant before he brought his hand crashing down again. She kicked, struggling across his lap as he brought his hand down again and again. Holding tightly to her, he kept up the steady pace, knowing that, any second now, he was going to get what he wanted.

She’d held out for longer than he’d anticipated, but finally he heard it--a short, soft sob as she began to cry. The instant he heard that sound, he slowed, softening the slaps gradually. She kicked feebly across his lap, squirming and trying to avoid his hand as she started babbling.

“Please, Hugh, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I’ll never hurt you or take advantage of you again!”

She hardly seemed to notice as he slowed his tempo further, landing a soft spank only every so often. He loosened his grip on her wrist, slowly beginning to rub her back as she cried. Finally he stopped altogether, and simply let her lay across his lap for a moment.

After a moment, she took a huge breath, seemingly trying to collect herself. “I’m sorry, Hugh.”

Carefully, he patted her ass and reached to pull her panties back up, giving her her decency back. She hissed, but said nothing as he pulled the shirt back down to cover her and then helped her to her feet. Her face was streaked with tears, and she avoided his eyes as she unsteadily stood up, steadying herself with one hand on his shoulder.

Hugh ignored the way she avoided his eyes, standing up and taking her hand. “C’mere.” She followed him, a little warily, as he led her to the couch, still sniffling and crying softly. Carefully, he sat, pulling her down next to him. She followed wordlessly, immediately throwing her arms around his neck and beginning to cry all over again.

He knew she couldn’t possibly be crying because he’d hurt her. Even as only a half-vampire who’d stopped using her powers, she was much stronger than him, he couldn’t have hurt her seriously if he’d tried. As he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her close and pressing a kiss against her hair, he could hear her still whispering about how sorry she was.

“Hey, shh,” murmuring softly to her as she cried into his shoulder, he felt her shudders gradually subside. “It’s okay, Jez. We’re okay. I forgive you, okay? Everything’s fine.”

He rubbed her back and ran his fingers lightly over her hair, trying not to get caught in the snags there. Her sobs slowed, and she tightened her arms around his neck before suddenly pulling away. He looked up into her face, and she finally met his eye. The look lasted only an instant before she repositioned herself, turning so that she could curl up by his side, her arms around his neck and her face pressed against his shoulder.

“I really am sorry, Hugh.”

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he squeezed her tightly. “It’s fine, Jez. Everything’s forgiven, it’s all over now.” Tipping his head against hers, he sighed. “You know I care about you, right? You’re my best friend, I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

She tightened her arms around him for a moment, sniffled loudly in his ear, and then pulled away. “I care about you too, but if you _ever_ do something like this again, I’ll kill you.” She punched his shoulder lightly, mustering a wobbly smile.

Hugh laughed, breaking into a grin. “Only if you deserve it, Jez.”


End file.
